ENTREPRENEURS, nurses, community workers are just some of those who work or live in Gwent that feature in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list.

One of the leading figures in Newport’s continued regeneration, Professor Simon Gibson OBE, is one of two businessmen to be made Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Recognised for his services to the economy in Wales, Prof Gibson is the chief executive of the Wesley Clover Corporation, which has its UK base at the Celtic Manor Resort.

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Simon Gibson

Alongside his work with the investment management firm, the 59-year-old is also the founder of the Alacrity Foundation, a graduate entrepreneurship training programme based in Newport.

Prof Gibson, who lives in Monmouth, was made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to the industry and community of south Wales in the 1999 Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Reacting to his new honour, he said: “It’s a huge honour but no man is an island. It is a recognition of the many teams of people that I work with, and the things we have been able to achieve together.

“We have been making progress in the economy, with Wales being the fastest growing economy in the UK but still have a long way to go, a lot of people still out of work and young people disenfranchised or unmotivated.”

Sean Dennehey, deputy chief executive of the Intellectual Property Office, also received a CBE for his services to intellectual property.

Having started at the IPO as a patent examiner in 1978, he moved with the department as it transitioned from London to newport in 1991. Since then the 60-year-old has settled in Monmouth, where he has since raised a family.

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Sean Dennehey

He was made director of patents in 2004 and deputy chief executive in 2007. He also served as chief executive during the 2009/10, 2012/13 and 2016/17 financial years.

Mr Dennehey said: “It is a great personal privilege for my services to intellectual property to be recognised with the CBE, but this is also a recognition of the great work done by all my colleagues at the IPO.”

Services to the scouting movement, the Mission to Seafarers, and to community cohesion in south Wales over more than 50 years has earned Edward Watts, of Newport, an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire).

Born and brought up in Pill, the list of Mr Watts’ contributions - past and present - to a range of organisations in the city and on a Gwent and regional basis, is testament to his devotion to volunteering.

He was one of the first black scout leaders in Wales, served as leader of Newport Sea Scouts for 23 years, and is president of Gwent Scouts.

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Edward Watts

He has also given 50 years of service to the welfare of seafarers from around the world, and is chairman of, and a volunteer at, Newport Mission to Seafarers and also chairs the South Wales Merchant Navy Welfare Board.

He has previously too, set up the Black and Multi Ethnic Partnership Board, and has been a director of the South East Wales Racial Partnership Board.

“It keeps me off the streets,” said 69-year-old Mr Watts modestly and jokingly about the many roles he has had and still holds, which also currently includes chairing Gwent Association of Voluntary Organisations (GAVO).

He has also worked in shipping and for Tesco, the latter for 30 years.

“It’s very special (to receive an MBE), but for me it is great to see people achieving things in their lives,” said Mr Watts.

“Things are very different these days. It was a fight growing up, for me and others, and I’ve been very fortunate because people have been very kind and helpful.”

Louise Rooney was managing a ward at Chepstow community hospital when in 2011 she was asked to review health services at Usk Prison from an NHS perspective.

The following year she was seconded there, with responsibility for the prison’s health services transferring to the NHS, in this case Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, and identified an urgent need for improvement in several areas.

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Louise Rooney

She left her role at Usk in April this year, having transformed the service, addressing issues including outpatient appointments and appointment cancellations for prisoners, and driving the improvement of the skills of the prison nursing workforce.

She also secured in-reach mental health, optometry and dental services, and began the development of palliative care services to ensure prisoners are better supported at the end of their lives.

Mrs Rooney has won Royal College of Nursing Wales and Nursing Times awards for her work, and now her services to nursing and to prison healthcare in Monmouthshire have earned her an MBE, leaving her “totally shocked and humbled.”

Of her time at Usk, Mrs Rooney, 54, said: “I love a challenge, so when I was asked I said ‘yes, no problem’.

“As a nurse, it doesn’t matter what somebody’s background is, we have a responsibility to provide them with care.

“If you treat people well, within your professional boundaries, and afford them dignity and respect, and their privacy is maintained, you find you will get respect back.”

Katy Burns, who lives in Abergavenny, has been awarded an MBE for services to post-16 education and skills in Wales.

Involved in the sector for more than 30 years, she has supported the development of adult community learning and further education (FE), and played a key role in setting up Adult Learning Partnerships Wales in 2008.

Other important work has included the development of the Credit Framework for Wales, enabling adults to gain credit and recognition for their achievements, and the development of qualifications for support staff, and encouraging collaborations between colleges and voluntary and charitable organisations.

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Katy Burns

Since 2009 she has run the FE Additional Learning Needs (ALN) network and led on initiatives to shape provision for these learners.

And she has led projects supporting major curriculum changes, including preparing staff to deliver new GCSE, Welsh Baccalaureate, and Essential Skills Wales qualifications.

Mrs Burns, 71, a Scot by birth, and a former vice principal of Coleg Gwent, said the award of an MBE is “a bonus I never expected.”

“I feel honoured, and teamwork has been very important in the work I have been involved with. A lot of people have done a lot of good work and I certainly could not have had this without the support of others.”

Mark Langshaw, managing director of Continental Teves, has been awarded an MBE for services to the economy and community in Blaenau Gwent.

As well as working at the Ebbw Vale-based plant for 14 years, he also serves in a variety of roles with the aim of regenerating the economy of the region.

He is the chair of the board at the Ebbw Vale Enterprise Zone, which he has been involved with since its inception in 2012, and was made a governor of Coleg Gwent in 2016.

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Mark Langshaw

Mr Langshaw is also the director of the Welsh Automative forum and is also a director of Aneurin Leisure Trust.

“I was a bit shocked when I got the letter in November but it’s a privilege and an honour to receive it,” he told the Argus.

A long-serving governor at Monmouth Comprehensive school was also granted an MBE for his services to education and the community in the town.

Stuart McLester, 71, has been on the board of governors for 29 years, starting in the role when his daughter enrolled at the school.

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Stuart McLester

He stepped down as chair of governors, a post he held for 17 years, in 2014 but balances governor duties between Monmouth Comprehensive and Coalway Junior School in Coleford, Gloucestershire, where he lives.

“Total shock, surprise and quite humbling are probably the three feelings I’ve felt the most since receiving the news,” said Mr McLester.

Alexander Khan, of Raglan, received an MBE for services to apprenticeships. He is chief executive of Lifetime Training, a training and apprenticeships specialist firm based in Bristol.

Usk’s Rachel Duncan Morgan received an MBE for her services to the UK Antarctic Heritage and Conservation, where she was director from 2000 to 2014.

Michael Giannasi, the former chief constable of Gwent Police, received a Queen’s Police Model for his services to the NHS.

Mr Giannasi, who now lives in Cheshire, currently serves as the chairman of the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust in 2013.

He retired from Gwent Police in 2011, having served in three police forces over a 31-year career.